Grand Rapids' worker-run, no-tipping restaurant closes

Dallas McCulloch works at Bartertown Diner on July 3, 2012 in Grand Rapids Mich.

(Sally Finneran)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The end has come for a popular Grand Rapids restaurant known as much for its creative vegan dishes as its progressive business model.

For much of its five-year existence, the eatery went by the moniker Bartertown Diner, until it was rebranded in September to The Garden Diner and Cafe.

The offbeat 30-seat eatery announced this month that its last day would be Wednesday, Nov. 30.

After a strong summer, the restaurant with about a dozen employees had struggled in recent months, said Thad Cummings. He took it over in March with Crystal Lecoy, who left two months later.

"I was an original investor in it," Cummings said. "I wanted to push it to see if the model could be done."

A farewell message on the diner's Facebook page indicated that the business, at 6 Jefferson Ave. SE, and the former Cult Pizza, at 10 Jefferson Ave. SE, are both up for sale for $60,000 and $40,000, respectively. The price tag doesn't include the lease for the three units that each come with a monthly rent of $1,650.

Both Bartertown and Cult Pizza, which opened in 2013 and closed earlier this year, were started by Ryan Cappelletti, a vegan chef with a plan of creating a sustainable restaurant model with baker Roxanne "Roc" Aguilar. Before Bartertown's 2011 opening, he created vegan menus for Stella's Lounge and The Viceroy, and also helped with Brick Road Pizza on Wealthy Street SE.

Bartertown's initial menu was described in a 2011 MLive review as an "imaginative" array of veggie, vegan and raw dishes that came with names like Dirty Dirty Beans & Greens and Raw Trash salad.

In its first year, Bartertown landed on VegNews' list of "10 Hot New Vegan Restaurants," sharing the spotlight with eateries in London, Toronto, Vancouver and Las Vegas.

Not only was the menu unconventional, so was the business model. Bartertown was a collective, which meant there were no bosses, according to Cappelletti. The inspiration for the worker-owned restaurant was based on Cappelletti's own restaurant experience.

"Because of our economy, people are working 12- to-15-hour shifts, servers take home $200 to $300 a night in tips, the cooks are making $10 an hour and the owner takes whatever he takes, " Cappelletti told MLive in 2011. "We're going to have equal pay and equal say across the board. Everyone working together."

Employees would be expected to join the union, Industrial Workers of the World, he said.

In the end, the restaurant failed to achieve the employee business model it envisioned.

"It had never been a worker-owned restaurant," said Cummings. "That was a misnomer. We still bought locally and paid living wages."

The living wage, no-tipping model required the restaurant to do a high level of sales to sustain the higher operational costs, he added.

While the restaurant's menu garnered a loyal following and hefty praise, there were complaints about 40-minute waits for sandwiches and limited hours of operation.

News of the restaurant's closure sparked debate on Reddit, a discussion website. Business and politics aren't an appetizing mix, wrote one person, who had this to say:

"I want to pay money for good product, without a side of indoctrination. Hopefully this sends a message: you shouldn't try running your business on political good will alone."

In August, the diner came under fire from customers for sending a free meal to the Grand Rapids Police Department, which then posted a thank-you message on Facebook.

It drew angry comments from some customers, who accused the diner of shifting away from its proletariat roots by supporting a "nearly all-white police force in this era of police violence."

Bartertown responded with a Facebook post saying its community model required an inclusive approach.

"At Bartertown we aim to break down barriers, to invite EVERYONE to the same table regardless of their socio economic status, beliefs, race or gender. From the penniless folks we engage with on the streets to the wealthy and everyone in between of all genders and races, we do not show prejudice," part of the message read.

Cummings declined to talk about the incident on the record, but noted the restaurant routinely provided free meals to organizations.

It also had a board that let customers pay to put up tickets, which could be used by someone in need to have a taco or bowl of food.

The closure of the restaurant is prompting Cummings to step back from his entrepreneurial ventures to spend more time at home with his 2-year-old son.

"I haven't taken a vacation in seven years, and will start there," Cummings said.

Cummings recently sold his business, My Green Michigan, which composts food waste from restaurants and businesses across the state. He will continue to serve as president of Sonder Farms, a non-profit that operates a community garden on 3 acres next to BBC Distributing, 1601 Steele Ave, in Grand Rapids.